Chapter 149 - The Girl From A Foreign Land

Allowing his thoughts to no longer cause hesitance, Ren pulled on the handle, opening the dense doors slowly as the interior air met with his skin--a dank, clammy atmosphere released. Right away--his eyes caught the existence of orange flames inhabiting torches of black metal, lining the interior pillars. Seeing some semblance of light beyond the faint luminescence alleviated his nervousness, stepping inside the enigmatic abode.

It was even more rundown than he had anticipated; debris took refuge on the floors which were tainted by ash and rubble.

Standing in the middle of the decrepit entrance to this old castle, he looked up to see the miraculously still-standing staircase, spiraling around each wall to lead up to the very pinnacle of the building. For a moment, his senses were dulled as he let himself investigate the state of these ruins--only noticing until the sensation was potent--something was approaching.

"Ren, to your left!"

"I've got it--!"

With not a moment to spare, Ren pivoted his body and leaned back, avoiding the incoming blur that made itself out to be clad in a gauntlet of sorts, formed of splendid gold and serene ivory. In that moment of adrenaline, with the obscuring of the shadows left by the flames, he was unable to get a clear look at his assailant.

Another strike came directly for his jaw, redirecting it with the palm of his hand and retaliating with a swift kick of his own, evaded by his agile opponent leaping backward with a set of flips.

--Is this guy a ninja or something? What the hell!

It was only a brief glimpse; neatly-wrapped robes of dirtied white and gold, decorated with floral patterns. This one-moment sight was quickly cut off as the figure approached him again with a dash of incredible speed.

A flurry of fists came his way, meeting each of them with his protective arms as he guarded and deflected them with the same dexterity as his unknown attacker. All of these moves were drilled into his body from the countless hours he spent under the guidance of his mentors, specifically the abrasive woman herself. It was surprising even to him; he had yet to test these moves against someone other than his mentors, finding them to be more than sufficient for his current opponent.

--It's like he's moving in slow-motion compared to them. I can handle this--without resorting to extreme measures!

To handle the next swift jab coming his way, Ren propelled his hand down with a subversive slap that jutted their arm down, allowing him to grab hold of their forearm and spin them around.

"I've got you! Now, listen up--"

As Ren attempted to take advantage of his hold on the enigmatic fighter, temporarily distracted by their jaw-level, curled locks that were a mix of beige and scarlet--an unorthodox move was performed. The swift warrior used the pillar directly in front of them as a foothold, traversing it upwards as defiance of gravity and spinning their body in a way that no longer held their arm as a liability.

--They aren't very strong, that much I know from the weight behind those punches--but their agility is beyond human. It's not just speed...I've never seen someone move like this.

Seeing the incoming flip-kick, he shielded the top of his head with a cross-guard of his arms, attempting to grab hold of their leg in response to this attack, only for them to slip back in another middle-finger to Newton's law.

"Cut it out already! I'm not an--"

Before he could get his last word out, he had to eat his words to evade an axe kick that he almost didn't see coming. As more exchanges were had, he began to feel out their rough build; clearly, they were about a head shorter than him, their physique being on the thin side yet holding some muscularity clearly by their performance.

Finally finding his moment, Ren caught both of their gauntlets as they went for an unorthodox pincer attack on each side of his head, gripping their fists tightly and pulling them close to finally get a look at them.

"Huh?"

It was the only verbal sound simple enough to leave his dazed mouth as he saw their face. Those big, violet eyes that glimmered with the same shock he held their fair, thin face with a small, button nose. Two bandages sat on each cheek of theirs that seemed to take on a slight blush from the close proximity.

"You're a girl?!"

Finally finding the ability to enunciate proper words, Ren asked almost in a gasp. For some reason, the feminine fighter looked just as shocked to his face--maintaining eye contact with him before pulling herself free from his grasp.

"Why're you here? And those clothes...Are you an exile?"

The voice was unmistakable belonging to a girl, her question reaching his ears sharply as she kept her eyes locked onto him.

"Huh? An exile? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't feign ignorance! You're from Akiteien!"

--"Akiteien"? Hold on, that's blatantly Japanese! Now that I have a good look at her...She's definitely Japanese as well. Or at least...This world's equivalent.

Rejecting her claim wasn't exactly the obvious choice as it wasn't right to say he was from Mastorn either. This was the singular chance he had--the only opportunity to dissolve the dispute between the two.

--If I say I'm from this "Akiteien" place then she might still be combative if she thinks I'm some sort of exile. Mastorn...From what I've heard, it isn't exactly a kingdom beloved by other nations--so that's off the table as well. Telling her I'm an otherworlder might be the riskiest choice of them all...Though being honest with her could just be my one ticket.

Lowering his fists as he took in a deep breath, closing his eyes, he opened them once more to meet with her own pearly irises. He checked briefly on Bifrons, who somehow found himself the opportunity to fall into slumber despite the tense situation.

"...I'm Ren Nakamura--I'm not from this "Akitein" region or whatever, the place I was born is Japan!"

"Japan?"

The beige-haired girl tilted her head at his introduction, slowly pronouncing the name of his birthplace with a perplexed expression.

"That's right! It's a nation on Earth! I'm...I'm an otherworlder!"

Although he announced it with seeming confidence, he could feel his body heat up just from letting the word "otherworlder" leave his lips in front of one native to this world. To his surprise, her expression softened instead of turning further into malice.

"An otherworlder?"

The girl ran her eyes up and down his body before meeting back up to his eyes as her shoulders loosened, folding her arms across her chest.

"Do you believe me?"

"There is no reason why anybody would lie about such a thing; it would lead to a fool's death, I suppose. Still...An otherworlder in Purgatory. Why?"

"Before that; I think you owe me something in return."

With the prospect of battle diminished, Ren took a seat on a slab of fallen stone, brushing the resting layer of dust off before placing his rear down. Hesitantly, she met the same position, seating herself with her back against the pillar chiseled with star-like symbols.

Looking at her now without the intensity of battle looming over his sight; she was a beauty of her own. The garments she wore struck a balance between being practical for combat and enhancing her cuteness factor, wearing loose white and gold robes over a black undersuit that clung to her body. With her arms exposed from the shoulder down, they were thin but chiseled in their own way; showing that she didn't shy away from training at all.

Though, she did look a couple of years younger than himself--that conclusion was unfortunately driven by his degenerate mindset of weighing age by the size of one's bust; which she held very humble measurements in that compartment.

"Owe you? If you want an apology for a fight then--"

"No, no. I gave you my name--so I want yours."

Ren flipped his hair as if he were in some sort of dating simulator, giving him his best smile he tucked away for special occasions. Clearly not expecting this, the girl gave him a slight pout by puffing her cheek out, looking up at him with her noble, violet eyes.

"Aiko."

"Aiko…?"

He raised an eyebrow, gently running his index finger along the silky fur of Bifrons; only getting this opportunity while the cunning feline took rest.

"Don't push it! You don't need to know my family name--I still don't know if I should let you live!"

Seeing this somewhat flustered, prickly reaction from the petite girl, watching her fringes bounce as she jabbed her finger towards him.

"Alright, alright...Anyways, you've got one like this guy right?"

Ren asked, ever so softly pressing his finger against the forehead of the slumbering cat on his shoulder.

"Of course I have an attendant. Camio, wake up."

Getting his confirmation, Ren watched as Aiko asked quietly for "Camio" to awaken, witnessing the pouch at her side protrude with the existence of something inside before the flap swung open. Peeking out from the pouch was the head of a white-feathered crow, looking towards him with its beady, scarlet eyes that had no pupils.

"Oh, I see you've found yourself a companion."

"...He's not my companion."

--A bird? At least it doesn't say "nya"...

Ren gave it a slight wave with a nervous chuckle, "Hey, I'm Ren--"

"Oh, I know who you are, child. You needn't waste your breath with such words known to me."

To be so blatantly shut down by a talking bird felt like the lowest-low he had experienced, weakly retreating his hand as he only gave a quiet nod in response.

Still, to be able to talk to someone at all without the prospect of battle--Ren couldn't put into words how much it revitalized both his mind and body. A reprieve from the constant fighting that inhabited Purgatory was invaluable, he didn't know how much longer his psyche would last if it were not for this unexpected break.

"Now, you got my name, so answer my question."

--Wow, she's prickly. Giving her name only made things even yet she jumps right into demanding answers from me, sheesh.

Ren exhaled through his nose as he met with her intense, resolved gaze--deciding to give in to her answer. From what she could tell, she was cautious, and not answering a simple question would likely lead to a dissolving of this brief companionship, or worse.

"I'm here to get stronger; it's that simple. With the argonauts wanting my head on a pike, I have no other choice but to acquire as much strength as I can. Right now though...I'm looking for someone."

"Someone?"

"A...comrade of mine. We got separated at the start. I know they're somewhere on this floor so I have to find them."

Honesty; it was risky, but he decided to trust his gut on this girl not being a complete and murderous psychopath like the previous challenger he met.

For a moment, Aiko became quiet as if digesting this answer before whispering something to Camio. Watching these unknown words be exchanged, Ren became anxious, awaiting the answer that would come from her lips.

"From our brief encounter, I can tell you're a formidable fighter and from the looks of it...You don't seem to have any malicious intent."

"So…?"

Hearing this, Ren's ears sparkled a bit at the prospect of what was about to come.

"I'll accompany you to find this companion of yours, but on one condition."

"...Yeah?"

"You'll have to help me take care of something."

As Aiko asked this, she twiddled with her hair a bit, averting her gaze as she looked down towards the side.

"Deal!"

"Eh?"

Ren's answer came immediately without any hesitation, jumping up from his seat as he extended her hand towards her for a handshake to seal the deal.

--With someone like her who knows her way around here, she'll be invaluable in helping find Iris. Also...she looks younger than me--I can't in good conscience let her travel alone.

Even though he told himself this, it was more along the lines of him not wanting to travel alone, at least, not with just his familiar that slept most of the time.